


Under His Spell

by heyitsmemi



Category: Persona 5
Genre: (lol), Akira is a Little Shit™, Angst, Confrontations, Forbidden Love, Gay Panic, Humor, M/M, Set during the time they prepare for Sae's palace, Status Effects, Unresolved Sexual Tension, and let's be real Akechi is enjoying it, i'm not gonna lie this oneshot is a rollercoaster of emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-27
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 02:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20418041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsmemi/pseuds/heyitsmemi
Summary: There was always something there. Something behind the pretenses and disagreements, beneath the obvious opposing beliefs, and Akira knew. He was aware, because despite popular belief, he was no fool. No, he was actually pretty clever. And just as a smart person would, he tried his best to ignore it simply because it was not supposed to happen. He didn’t expect it to happen, ever – let alone like this.Or; Akechi and Akira both get hit by an unfortunate status effect during a trip to Mementos and it makes things incredibly awkward.





	Under His Spell

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all!  
So this was based entirely on a dream I had, and despite being in the middle of working on a massive Shuake fic as is, I just had to get this out of my system because I literally have zero chill.  
Thank you so much for clicking and I hope you have fun! I sure did writing it.

There was always something there. Something behind the pretenses and disagreements, beneath the obvious opposing beliefs, and Akira knew. He was aware, because despite popular belief, he was no fool. He was actually pretty clever. And just as a smart person would, he tried his best to ignore it, simply because it was not supposed to happen. He didn’t expect it to happen, ever – let alone like this.

*

“Come on, we can totally keep going!” Ryuji exclaimed from the seat next to him, turning back to the others with such an excited motion his body twisted like it belonged to a snake.

_As eager as always. _

Akira smiled to himself as he turned the Mona-van, navigating through the winding tracks of Mementos. They’ve been down here for a while, training and preparing to take down their next – and likely one of the most important – target, Niijima Sae. The fact that she was Makoto’s sister certainly raised the tension to an extent, even if Akira – and, well, everyone but Akechi – were aware that they weren’t going to seriously change her heart.

“Come on, it’s about Queen’s sister, we can do at least one more, right?”

“You go ahead Skull, but as for myself, I’m staying in the back,” stated Yusuke, who took a little too much fire for his liking in the previous fights.

“So am I,” seconded Ann, who spent an equal amount of time healing said fire damage on Yusuke.

“I can keep going, but if most of us are tired, I wouldn’t ask this of you.”

“No, Mako-chan, don’t worry,” Haru’s voice was hushed. “I am always ready to lend a hand.”

“Yeah, and an axe,” Ryuji nodded. “Or several grenade launchers.”

“Alright, stop,” Makoto chuckled, shaking her head. “Fine. Then if everyone else agrees, we can keep going.”

“Joker?”

Akechi’s voice made him stir, just briefly, although not visibly. It was merely getting right under his skin, as it did. He glanced at him through the rearview mirror, only to see that Akechi was already looking at him.

“I’m good to go.”

“Alright guys, but just a heads up,” Futaba interjected, dispersing his thoughts as his eyes settled on the tracks again. “I am sensing a stronger enemy ahead, and something… well, I don’t know what it means but something feels off with it.”

“Whaddaya mean ‘something feels off’?” Ryuji turned back in his seat again with a raised a brow.

“I can’t really tell, it’s almost like… it has powers it shouldn’t have.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound too promising,” Yusuke said quietly, and Akira could almost see him rubbing at his temple.

“I sense it too, you guys,” Morgana warned. “It doesn’t feel too malicious, but just make sure to stay vigilant.”

“We’ll kick its ass!” Ryuji concluded.

Ann sighed in response. “Just keep your head cool, Skull.”

“Is that it?” Haru asked, leaning forward and pointing at a shadow straight ahead.

Akira drove behind it skillfully, slowing down just briefly. “Show time,” he smirked just before pressing down on the gas and ramming it from behind.

As the shadow fell onto the ground with a gross shudder, he ran ahead, then nodded towards the others. “Noir, Crow, with me. And Skull, since you wanted to get out there so much.”

“Hell yeah, man!”

“Queen and Mona, stay close behind in case we need a switch. Fox and Panther are out.”

“Got it,” Makoto said with a nod, keeping distance, but staying on guard, just as the shadow in front of them fell apart and emerged a winged demon they were already very familiar with.

“Really? A damn succubus? That all?” Ryuji asked incredulously, twirling the rod in his hand like he was ready to take it down alone.

“… Oracle?” Akira called, slightly confused.

“Yeah, I’m surprised, too,” he heard Futaba’s voice from above them. “I know it seems like a weakling, but I definitely feel that spike. Be careful.”

“Are you kidding?” Ryuji grinned widely. “I’m almost disappointed.”

“God, shut up, Skull!” He heard Mona's hiss from behind them.

Akira watched as Haru aimed and shot at the thing – and as the grenade narrowly missed it.

“Oh no, I’m sorry!”

“That’s fine,” Akira grabbed his gun and did the same, knowing already that the demon’s weaknesses were gun and bless damage. Except it missed again. “The hell…”

The succubus laughed joyfully as it twirled in the air elegantly.

He frowned, glancing at Akechi. “Try to take it down with bless.”

Akechi nodded at him before summoning Robin Hood, only for the attack to miss again. He heard him huff in frustration.

“Seems like it has some sort of resistance to its weaknesses,” Futaba commented, the gears rolling in her head almost audibly. “Try something else!”

Ryuji went ahead and beat on it with his rod without further ado, which did do some damage, but overall not enough.

The succubus groaned before snickering some more. “Well, now you’ve upset me. Let’s have some fun,” with that, the demon twirled once more and shot _some_ sort of spark towards Akechi, which made him stop dead.

“Oracle, what was that?” Haru asked hastily.

“Some kind of status effect… I’m sure this is the power that’s unusual for it. I’m looking into it!”

“Hurry!” Makoto sounded every bit worried as Haru swung her axe and gave the demon another hit.

“I got it!” Futaba exclaimed. “It’s… it’s lust. I’m not sure what it means in this case, though.”

“Lu… what was that?” Ryuji asked, like he didn’t hear clearly.

Akira shared his sentiments. He glanced at Akechi, who was crouched over slightly, and looked more like he had a bad stomach ache than anything else.

“Crow, are you alright?”

“God. Do not… talk to me,” Akechi groaned, his eyes squeezed shut.

He frowned, then turned to look at Ryuji, who gave him an over-exaggerated shrug in response.

“It’s fine man, this is probably the first time he feels that.”

Akira didn’t have time to roll his eyes at his friend’s comment, because Haru shrieked in the next moment. “Wait, Joker, it’s fast –!”

He barely even registered that he got hit, only when he stumbled over slightly, and his mind began to feel fuzzy. It felt like he heard everything the others said from outside of some bubble.

“Well, that’s just fantastic!”

“Oh, no!”

“Noir, can you heal them?”

“No! These are special ailments, I can’t work with those.”

“Focus on getting that thing down, you two!”

Akira could feel his heart in his ears as the others pretty much got muted, and he glanced to the side, his eyes meeting with Akechi’s. Despite the masks, he could see his eyes clearly, and something twisted inside of him.

That was it. That spark; the unresolved, unspoken tension that only kept growing between the two of them in the past months, and seemed to start to go haywire now that they spent more time together since Akechi temporarily joined them. The worst was that Akira knew that Akechi was bad news, or that they could end up destroying each other, but every time he was around him lately he wondered why.

Why couldn’t there be another way?

He allowed the thoughts he wanted to keep away so desperately to enter his mind, or perhaps it was just the spell he was under; the longing, the dangerous curiosity, the desire to keep him around, to be his friend and show him that someone actually cared, and…

He watched as Akechi began to breathe a bit more heavily, resulting in what felt like his mind doing a backflip before shutting down entirely.

_…. and to do things to him that shouldn’t be said out loud._

Oh, this was dangerous. Akira knew that, because he was sane enough to remember that there was something unsaid and forbidden going on between them that shouldn’t be encouraged, something that in fact needed to be ignored, but he was unfortunately too effected to keep himself away from it now, or to even remind himself why it was such a bad idea in the first place.

He smirked at him instead, tilting his head towards the opening behind them, also known as the exact opposite of the direction where the fight was, where they were very much needed. It was a clear signal of a silent ‘come with me’, and Akechi seemed to take the hint.

He ran for it in the next second, laughing to himself as he heard Akechi’s steps following him.

“Hey, where the hell are you – No, get back here!” Ryuji’s voice was almost entirely muted out, along with the others. He caught a glimpse of Makoto and Morgana taking their place, some more swear words from Ryuji, and Futaba warning the remaining people in fight to focus and try not to get hit.

Akira couldn’t find it in himself to pay any mind to the fact that he just fled from a fight, or that he wasn’t supposed to do that. All responsibilities were straight out of the window, and he could only focus on the almost overwhelming electricity in the air between Akechi and him. They hid from the others’ sight in a corridor that didn’t really go anywhere, far from the sounds of the battle – or perhaps it was just the effect of his hazy mind not registering anything but _his_ presence.

“That was not very leader-like of you,” Akechi remarked, or rather teased – he was _teasing_ him, and all Akira could do was flash a wide grin and shrug innocently in response.

“What do you mean? I led you all the way here.”

He paused as Akechi smiled, then reached out with both hands and uncovered his face, gently placing his mask on the top of his head. Akira wasn’t sure how he could even make unmasking him into an attractive gesture, but it was working; and he felt like he’d been stripped of his last bit of self-control, too.

“Joker…” Akechi’s voice was hushed, with a tilt akin to invitation and plea, and that combination nearly made Akira lose his balance altogether. On top of it all, Akechi maintained eye contact.

The only problem was…

He carefully lifted Akechi’s mask up, too. It was well pointy and also – quite frankly – in the way, as getting closer to him was almost impossible with that thing on. Getting it out of the way made things worse too, though, because now his whole face was visible.

Akechi was flushed, with his lips slightly parted and his eyes fixated on him – half-lidded and mercilessly captivating.

He couldn’t keep himself from letting his fingers linger near his hair, then traveling down, his gloved hand resting on his cheek. He could feel Akechi tremble briefly under his touch, and wondered if he could also feel the surge of electricity that rushed through his body from such a simple contact. He intended to absolutely spellbind Akechi too, though. Make him feel weak, and then even weaker.

With a devilish smile, he whispered his name like it was a prayer on his lips; “Goro…”

That visibly did the trick. Akechi let out a barely audible gasp, and grabbed the edges of his coat, pulling him closer. This gesture made him a little bit more aware of their slight difference in height as they locked eyes. Akechi was barely taller than him, but now even that seemed strangely appealing.

“Hey,” he said with a smirk, enjoying their newfound close proximity.

“Hi,” Akechi answered breathily, smiling more and more until they both erupted in an odd fit of chuckles. It was ridiculous, most likely caused by the high the spell gave them, mixed with the anticipation in the air, which steadily kept growing especially considering the months of unbroken tension.

It felt as if everything was spinning as their noses touched, and as Akira could feel Akechi breathe against his lips. Perhaps the spell made him feel drunken, too. His eyes closed, and he felt hot, knowing his cheeks were likely just as flushed as Akechi’s. They weren’t smiling anymore. There was nothing on his mind but Akechi, this moment, and the urge to close the distance between them once and for all. Akira was dizzy from the feeling that took over him… he just wanted _him_.

The moments leading up to it were a lot like the nature of their general interactions; dancing around each other, never getting close enough, keeping distance while secretly yearning for more. Akechi teasingly traced his skin with his mouth, up his jaw, then down towards his own lips – which Akira skillfully dodged. Once he stopped trying, Akira did allow his lips to brush against Akechi’s, but only very briefly, testing if he could stay still, despite he himself almost losing it.

And then, just like how it happened today, spell or not but something snapped, and Akira gave in to it.

He captured his lips properly, feeling the electricity turning into a flame, which was now traversing through his whole body. Akechi’s immediate response was entirely maddening with his lips parting almost helplessly, and his arms snaking around his neck to keep him close. Akira’s hands trailed down to Akechi’s waist, bringing him even closer until their bodies were flush together.

He kissed him deeply, not being able to do or think about anything else. It felt addictive, and he was so caught up in it that he barely registered Akechi yanking one of his own gloves off – only when he felt thin fingers traveling up the nape of his neck before tangling in his hair.

Akira sighed into the kiss, feeling goosebumps appear on every inch of his body. Somewhere between still wanting more of him and carefully sliding a leg between Akechi’s, his mind began to clear up a little more. He became aware of what he was doing just as the contact made Akechi let out a soft moan, right against his lips. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard, and he cursed himself for immediately wanting to hear it again.

“Oh, hell no!” Ryuji’s voice was the final push that threw him back into reality – and away from Akechi, the two of them jumping apart with such remarkable speed it deserved some sort of applause.

“This image will burn into my retinas and haunt me forever!” His best friend whined, covering his eyes as if he could make himself unsee what he’d been exposed to.

Akira tried to catch his breath as he watched Akechi – now very clearly beet red and avoiding his eyes as he yanked his mask back down immediately, no doubt to hide behind it further before covering his mouth, too. The latter humored him a little, although his head was still spinning to some extent, but his thoughts seemed to have at least cleared up. The effect of whatever they got hit with passed. The fight was over.

He turned to look back at a very obviously scarred Ryuji and an equally humored Ann, who was clearly trying to hide a smile. He instinctively dragged his mask down, too.

“Dude, the hell was that?! I get you got hit with that thing and felt like acting on it but…,” he lowered his voice, giving him a Look. “But Akechi? Really?”

Ann came to the rescue by promptly elbowing Ryuji in the side. “Skull! They both were effected, remember? They were the strongest in our group, too, I’m sure the demon wanted to get them out of there so only the easier targets remained.”

“Well, we still kicked its ass though!”

“Sorry, guys,” he said once he found his voice. “That was irresponsible, but I wasn’t really… myself.”

“Yes. Forgive me,” was all that Akechi said as he crouched down to collect his missing glove, then walk right past them, back to the others. Akira had a slight suspicion that his apology was addressed to him too, in a way.

“Let’s get out of here,” he announced while walking ahead, despite the fact that the only thing he wanted to do was sit down and collect himself. His head was in pieces.

The ride back out of Mementos was mostly smooth; Ann decided there was no point in telling the others what happened, and she managed to get Ryuji to agree. Although that didn’t really seem to matter, because while it was a nice gesture, Akira knew that pretty much everyone had an idea about what they might’ve done while they were missing in action. Whether it was fueled by Akechi sitting in the back, dead quiet, just staring at his lap, he wasn’t sure. It did certainly add to it, though.

That night was the first time Akira headed to the bathhouse with the sole purpose of getting nothing but a cold shower. Although the effect the demon’s attack had on him was long gone, what worried him was that part of it lingered on its own. No matter how much he tried to continue what he did before, rather effectively; keeping certain thoughts about Akechi out of his head, it didn’t seem to work anymore.

He allowed the cold water to rinse the remaining burning off of his body, and clear his mind. He wished the water could’ve gotten Akechi’s voice out of his head, too.

*

It’s been exactly three days since Akechi didn’t look him in the eye. Tension began to run high in the group as they had to act quickly and get inside Sae’s Palace rather soon – it was almost as if the two of them made it impossible to work, though.

To give some credit to Akechi, he showed up at all three meetings. He merely didn’t look at him, talk to him, or showed any signs that he was aware of his presence aside from, of course, the very dedicated act of trying not to be aware of it. Akira couldn’t exactly blame him, because yes, the situation was awkward to say the least, especially considering the whole thing about how they were supposed to be rivals. However, he was also diligently working on a plan to figure out a way to talk to him and be the adult in the situation, regardless of the fact that Akechi was in fact older than him.

There were things that helped him these past days, like realizing that going in like this would place them at a disadvantage because they _needed_ to communicate during infiltration. Or the fact that he had limited time to talk to Akechi at all. On the other hand, Ann telling him that the succubus likely chose the two of them because it picked up on the fact that they already had a spark didn’t help him one bit. Nor Futaba’s questions about how Akechi was as a kisser (too good), because of course she figured it out, or the teasing comments from Ryuji who claimed he’d never get over it (how funny), or any reminders whatsoever.

Most of all, though – and it was something he’d never admit, ever – he was enjoying the way Akechi tried his best to ignore him. Mostly because it seemed to be a very difficult task, and that entertained him greatly.

Nevertheless, he knew he needed to talk to him. He _was_ going to.

“… and they got nearly knocked out while running. Right, Akira?” Ryuji’s voice pulled him back into reality, and he nodded as he stood up from the booth to get another coffee.

They were having a strategy meeting at Leblanc while Sojiro was out shopping, or at least they were _supposed_ to have one, but it turned into a debate about this track and field movie Ryuji showed him the other day, and why that was the best thing ever. Everyone collectively agreed it wasn’t, except Ryuji who was for it. And well, Akira took his side because he felt bad.

“God, why are you so invested in these? You should keep running if you want to,” he heard Ann say as he made his way to the counter, pouring himself some more coffee.

He glanced at Akechi who was idly sipping his own, several chairs over, being the only one who sat at the bar like a martyr, and ignoring him as usual.

“Like hell! I don’t want anything to do with Shujin’s team anymore. I do want to keep training though, it’s just…”

He squinted his eyes at Akechi as he took a sip of his own drink. He didn’t see him anyway, so he was allowed.

“Well, I’m afraid that if I start to push myself again I will just fail and end up kissing the –”

Ryuji stopped short as Akechi choked on his coffee, having a rather impressive coughing fit. Akira was starting to get mildly concerned.

“… the floor as I fall over. Akechi, _are you_ okay?” Ryuji asked with a raised brow.

Once he could talk again, he nodded rapidly. “Yes. Yes, pardon me.”

Akechi shot him a brief glance in the next second – very brief, his eyes let go of his as soon as he spotted that Akira was already looking at him.

_Incredible._

He had to talk to him. Preferably today.

In the end, the group dispersed and Akira reassured them that they would infiltrate the Palace in the coming days. He made sure his plan would go well too, like telling Morgana to go with Futaba so he could smooth things out with Akechi, who was about to follow the others outside when Akira called out to him.

“Akechi. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

It was good old direct communication. This would make just a tad harder for Akechi to pretend he didn’t exist.

He froze in the door, still avoiding his eyes. “Well, actually I’ve got this –”

“It won’t take long,” he smiled as he leaned across the counter. “It’s for the sake of our success as a group. Come upstairs.”

“… Upstairs?” Akechi looked mortified, as if he’d suggested something unbelievably indecent.

Akira rolled his eyes as he turned. “Yes, to talk. Come on.”

He smiled to himself when he heard Akechi following him. It was almost like déjà vu.

“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?” Akechi nonchalantly walked past him and turned his back to him, disguising his attempt to still avoid looking at him by pretending to suddenly take great interest in the view from his windows.

Maybe he was considering escaping through there, and was now calculating his odds of survival. Akira wouldn’t have been surprised.

“You’re not looking at me,” he said simply.

Akechi sighed and turned around, allowing his eyes to land on his own. “I am.”

“Yes, for the first time in three days. I’ve been counting.”

Akechi raised a brow as he glanced to the side – then back at him, almost as if he tried to prove a point.

“Look, I know things have been… awkward. But I was kind of hoping we can move past it.”

_To be successful with our mission_, was what he wanted to add. He didn’t, for some reason.

“And how do you intend to go about that?”

Truth to be told, Akira didn’t have a plan. Most of all, he just wanted to get to him.

“I think…,” he began as he carefully took a step towards him, in sync with Akechi taking a step back. “We should stop ignoring the issue and try to face it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re awfully smart. You know what I’m talking about,” he took another step, and Akechi stopped as he realized that his legs reached the bed and there was no more room to back away, unless of course he did decide to go for the windows.

He was pushing his luck, at least just a little bit, both with his tone and his rather shameless attempts to _really_ get to him. Interestingly enough that was exactly what seemed to work with Akechi. Akira saw a rush of something close to panic flash through his eyes, which made him wonder.

Truth to be told, Akira spent the previous days doing exactly that. He’d been thinking, and he could only come to one conclusion; despite the odds, he at least wanted to try. Try to break down his walls, to make him see he wasn’t as alone as he thought, and that everything could still change. He didn’t want to remain his rival and pretend-friend. He wanted to be an actual friend for him, and maybe even more. And damn him, Akechi could deny it, but Akira was at least going to try and take his chance.

Nevertheless, an alarm went off inside his head as he took just one more step towards him, because he was honestly playing with fire. If there could be visual warnings of someone being taboo, Akechi would have stop and danger signs displayed all over him right now. And yet Akira didn’t give a damn. He rebelled against everything lately, anyway.

“Don’t you?” He asked in a softer voice, tilting his head to the side before smiling mischievously. “Hmm, Goro?”

He remembered right, that was still a solid hit. Akechi blinked a few, opening his mouth at least two different times before something actually did come out. “What are you doing? This…,” he motioned towards the small space between them, where the several warning signs seemed to fade away more by the second in Akira's head. “Can’t happen.”

“It’s exactly this…,” Akira sighed, repeating the motion and waving them away once and for all. “That I don’t want to ignore anymore.”

“You should,” Akechi said firmly, shaking his head. “It won’t do us any good. So you should, by all means, continue to ignore it.”

His voice wasn’t as confident as he no doubt would’ve liked it to be, and Akira smirked in response.

“What?” Akechi asked with a frustrated huff.

“Unfortunately I can’t trigger a change of heart in myself,” he smiled more as Akechi raised an unamused brow at him. “Or change what it wants. Or who. Especially after getting a little taste in Mementos.”

“You’re not –” Akechi began, looking every bit embarrassed again, but he didn’t give him time to try and continue to come up with more fake excuses.

“Can _you_ ignore it?” He challenged instead. “Aside from acting like I don’t exist, because to be honest that just proves you are struggling with moving past it.”

He was greatly enjoying the way Akechi went silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. But oh, he was not even done yet.

“Then push me away,” Akira suggested, raising up his hands halfway, like he was giving in. Akechi’s eyes fell onto the ground, not doing anything of the sort. “Come on, show me how easily you are dealing with it. Just tell me you don’t want anything from me,” he leaned forward a little, smiling knowingly. “Except you can’t lie.”

Akechi’s eyes almost seemed defiant. He didn’t move, nor did he say anything, although Akira gave him time.

He smiled once more as he leaned even closer, technically purring his name, knowing it very much got to him. “Goro…?”

“God, stop that!” He groaned, and Akira almost began to feel bad for him. Almost.

Akechi gave him an ugly look as he laughed at him a little. It was the kind of look that told him that he was causing him a great deal of inconvenience. That he might have to come up with new plans now.

“I hate you,” he stated after a while, without any actual edge in his words whatsoever.

Akira just smirked, shaking his head. “You only hate that you like me.”

Something broke through Akechi’s façade then; just the briefest of smiles, and a look in his eyes that pretty much served as confirmation. “You’re an idiot.”

“And yet you can’t stop thinking about me,” Akira pointed out matter-of-factly.

“Maybe they are not really nice thoughts,” Akechi suggested as he raised a challenging brow, but he dismissed it, despite the chill that ran down his spine.

“Is that so? Because I’d be willing to bet…,” he leaned close enough now that their faces were merely inches apart. “… that you’ve been thinking about wanting to kiss me again.”

The way Akechi sucked in a breath wasn’t lost on Akira, in fact it only made him feel more confident. He was not about to back down. “Am I wrong?” He whispered, tearing down all boundaries as he allowed the tip of his nose to travel up on Akechi’s jawline. “Don’t you like me?” His hair tickled him; it was even softer than it looked. He breathed in his scent, voice barely audible. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”

Akira heard him exhale shakily, and pulled away just enough to note that his eyes were closed, and that he was breathing through parted lips. He smirked victoriously.

_Got you._

Akira didn’t hesitate; he gently pressed his lips against Akechi’s, welcoming the familiar heat that seemed to take over his body and mind. This kiss was slower, almost more careful; Akechi kissed him back, but tentatively. Now that their minds weren’t clouded, that there was more guiding them other than pure instincts, it seemed as if he was unsure of what to do. Akira smiled against his lips as he gently took his hands and led them up to his neck – where Akechi took the hint and wrapped his arms around it like before, while Akira’s hand traveled up on his back.

He pulled away just briefly, flashing him a toothy grin. “Should I take this as a yes?”

“That depends,” Akechi said, pensive, not tearing his eyes away this time. “Would it make you even cockier?”

The grin didn’t leave his face as he moved his hand up to Akechi’s cheek, then traced it down carefully until he stopped at his jaw, bringing him closer and placing a soft peck on his lips. He could feel Akechi tremble from the contact, so he repeated it.

_Cute._

“You… you already know…,” Akechi whispered the answer breathily in-between anyway, and that was the last push he needed. He deepened the kiss, no more words needed as they practically melted into each other.

It didn’t seem to matter now that this was supposed to be forbidden. That there were many things complicating whatever was going to happen between them from this point on, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

They wanted the other, perhaps in more ways than one, and he caught himself beginning to hope that this part would become the more important one. Because that was the thing; it wasn’t just about fun, or some sort of simple attraction. The truth was more ironic than that; despite what each of them believed in, what they were fighting for, or what their respective roles were supposed to be, there were actual feelings involved. And now it’s been laid right out on the table.

“A-Akira, I…,” Akechi pulled back almost reluctantly, and Akira was forced to face the fact that Akechi wasn’t the only one effected by being called by his first name.

“Yes?” He breathed.

“I actually do have somewhere to be,” Akechi admitted quietly, giving him an apologetic look.

He nodded slowly before turning with him so he could take a seat on his bed while wrapping his arms around Akechi’s waist to keep him there. He looked up at him, watching as Akechi let out a huff of laughter.

“Really?”

“This is just a precaution,” Akira explained with a shrug, voice completely serious. “I won’t let you go until you confirm to me that we can repeat this, _and_ that you won’t start to pretend like I’m invisible again.”

Akechi shook his head – dare Akira believe _fondly_ –, before rolling his eyes in the same manner. “Not like we could stop at this rate, right?”

He bit his lower lip and raised a brow. He was not in it for half answers.

Akechi locked eyes with him and sighed, giving in. “I promise.”

“Good.”

He kept a hold on him, leaning forward, allowing himself to rest his head against Akechi's stomach. It felt almost as if reality just began to sink in… about how many things were at stake, how many ways this could really go, and a newfound determination took over his mind; to try and preserve what started between them.

He lifted his head again to lock eyes with him. “Stay.”

“I would, but I really have to –”

“No,” he shook his head. “I meant stay with us. With me.”

Something definitely changed in the air between them, Akechi immediately catching up on what he meant, too. His eyes widened slightly, and for a long moment, he actually seemed torn.

But before he could’ve said anything definitive, Akira smiled at him. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, he just wanted him to understand. “I have great persuasive skills, you know…”

It seemed to work, as Akechi smiled back down at him, just as Akira took his right hand. “Oh, I’m absolutely…,” Akechi trailed off as he watched him peel his glove down just enough to place a kiss on his wrist. “… sure,” he whispered, their eyes locking once more.

It was an intense moment for many reasons. Starting from the position of Akira blinking up at him, putting a choice in his hand entirely while secretly being aware of Akechi’s plan. Showing him interest, making him think, or even rethink, and asking him. Kissing the very hand that could easily –

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” Akechi raised a brow at him.

“Doing what?” He asked innocently.

“Being like this… making it difficult for me to even _want_ to leave.”

Akira couldn’t keep the smile off his face. In fact, he probably smiled more this day than altogether in the past month.

“It’s going to have to stop,” Akechi warned, feigning seriousness.

“Or what?” He asked playfully.

“Or… we’re going to have problems.”

“Mhm. Are you going to arrest me?” The playfulness subtly disappeared from his voice, but he kept his smile. “… Kill me?”

And alright, perhaps Akira should’ve taken it down a notch.

The air felt heavy between them, although Akechi just blinked down at him, somewhat confused. He seemingly dismissed it though, leaning down instead so they were at eye level. “Well, actually I was thinking of something more like this…”

Akechi closed the distance between them, and Akira’s breath got stuck on his throat for a moment. This was the first time that Akechi initiated a kiss. It was gentle and sweet, almost like an unsaid promise, and Akira wondered if he really intended to keep it.

“Oh,” his eyes were fixated on Akechi’s once he pulled back. “Well, if _this_ is what I get from it, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to continue.”

Akechi let out a small laugh as he absent-mindedly placed his hand in his own – it sounded honest and real, devoid of any act.

“I’ll see you later,” he looked at him meaningfully before standing back up and turning away.

Akira watched as Akechi’s gloved hand slipped out of his own, and hoped it would find its way back.

His eyes followed him as he walked away, feeling more unsettled with every step Akechi took. What he would’ve given to peer inside his mind… to know if this was enough to change something or not.

_If he turns back, maybe there’s a chance he would change his mind._

Akira watched intently as Akechi began to walk down the stairs, and almost stopped breathing when he saw him stop hesitantly. He turned back, gave him a small smile, and then disappeared downstairs.

He told himself he should’ve felt relieved, but that feeling didn’t come, or at least not exactly in that sense. There were no guarantees, and he knew that. Everything was up to Akechi now, and he slipped into the comfort of knowing that he tried. He gave him more to think about, he offered him something, and whether Akechi decided to take it or leave it, it was all he could’ve done.

He knew that no matter what ended up happening in the end, this he would never regret.


End file.
